Under the Veil of Night

The Oval Group Leader's retaliation couldn't surprise Kanae. She halted and sharply altered her trajectory. The attack smashed into the ground, which trembled as a result.

Kanae's pupils narrowed. It seemed, she found one of the reasons why there was so much destruction on the floors below. The strength these people possessed was more than capable of destroying the building's perfectly fine structural framework. However, if this floor also collapsed, the result wouldn't be pretty as she perfectly remembered that what lay below was nothing but a pool of acid.

"Where do you think you're looking?" Dean yelled. His large blade sliced towards the man quickly.

CLANG!

The Oval Group Leader frowned. He pushed Dean back as he sensed danger from behind. Moving to the side slightly, he noticed a hand holding a small and peculiar sword passed by his leg, wounding his thigh.

"Don't you meddle, you ant!"

He struck down hard and Kanae did all she could to parry the attack. Her hand trembled as she was knocked away because of the sheer force. Looking at the two people continuing to exchange blows, Kanae's eyes turned solemn.

So this was the power of those who stood at the peak of the groups.

She could sense that their strength was still far below what she had experienced from Master Rudy. This pain was still within her limit. She could bear with it.

"Captain…"

Jason was startled at Kanae's sudden intervention, but he understood perfectly what she wanted to convey. Taking out his large blade, he approached the other members of Oval Group. Thankfully, all the people fighting wore their badges, making him able to recognize  his opponents easily.

"You're not too bad, newcomer," a Lore Group member commented when he saw how Jason was able to help him.

Jason nodded his head. Of course he was not bad. Even though he was not extremely strong, he was still far better than most people. The thousands of hours of training was not for nothing.

It didn't take long for them to finish off Oval Group. Even though many of them were wounded, Oval Group was never a match for Lore Group. The rest of Oval Group wanted to retreat, but their leader was too focused on the two people attacking him. He couldn't spare any time for the others at all.

Bam! Crack, crack!

As Kanae evaded Oval Group Leader's attack, his large blade sunk into the ground once more. It shook the ground terribly as cracks started to spread out.

"You're quite strong, my friend," Dean snorted. "But you're still not my match!"

CLANG!

Blocking Dean's attack, Oval Group Leader was pushed back. His hand bled from the force of the impact. He recalled that the little brat was still behind him, so he quickly turned around.

Slash!

It was too late though, as a large wound appeared on his back. Bearing with the pain, he turned around forcefully and attacked the brat. Agilely, Kanae evaded to the side. Her feet tripped to the floor, causing her to do a front roll on the ground.

The man smirked, but his smile froze when he suddenly felt sharp pain in his side. He quickly noticed that his shoulder was slashed from behind.

"Your enemies are not only one," Dean said coldly.

"DEAN!!!!"

He attempted to swing his blade at Dean, but he had already moved to a safe distance. Dean stepped forward once again and finished the man off.

"It took longer than I thought," Dean heaved a sigh. His stamina was already badly depleted from the continuous fighting. If not because of that, he could have defeated this annoying man sooner.

His eyes landed on the young girl by the side. The young features on her face caused his brows to furrow.

"You're not bad, little brat."

"Thank you," Kanae smiled and answered calmly.

Dean's pupils narrowed when he heard her voice. "You're a woman?"

Dusting off her clothes, Kanae nodded her head nonchalantly. She looked to the side and relaxed when she noticed that Jason was still alright.

On the other hand, Dean stared at Kanae with apprehension. He had not paid much attention in the beginning when she barged in, but when she continuously coordinated her attacks with his, he came to realize something. This little brat could catch up! It was quite a remarkable achievement considering their difference in strength.

However, now he found out that this brat was still very young. From her voice and appearance, he knew that this girl should still be a teenager. For a teenager to be able to keep up with their fight, what kind of food did she eat every day?

"What's your name, little lass?" Dean crossed his arms.

Kanae looked back at Dean. "I'm Rei from Fiore Group."

Fiore Group? The name was extremely unfamiliar to him. However, he would definitely remember the name Rei from now on. After all, there were not many talented youngsters who could achieve the same as her.

"Let's gather up," Dean called his teammates. Seeing their condition, his heart ached terribly. The fight with Oval Group caused their condition to deteriorate further.

"Oro, are you alright?" Kanae walked towards Jason.

Jason nodded. "Rather than worrying about me, how is your condition? You were fighting against the leader of Oval Group."

"I wasn't fighting alone, so I'm quite fine," Kanae smirked.

FLICK!

"Don't reason with me, you brat," Jason glared angrily. If something happened to Kanae because she was fighting against someone out of her league, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

"As you can see, I'm fine," Kanae pouted. "I won't do something that will cause my death."

"You really should be careful, Captain. We have to get out of this place alive."

Kanae nodded. She didn't plan to make this place her grave because she still has her little sister waiting for her. If she died, who would take care of that little brat? She wouldn't let her younger sister bear the burden all alone.

She was not allowed to die. Not yet.

"I'll get out of here alive," Kanae said solemnly.

Jason smiled. "That's good. We should head down now."

At that moment, the floor above them shook fiercely. Everyone looked up warily at the ceiling. If the floor came crashing down at them, it might kill them. Additionally, if this floor they were on right now also falls through, no one would stay alive.

The vibration stopped. Everyone heaved sighs of relief.

"We should go down, there's no way we can keep fighting and this place might collapse at any time," one of Lore Group's members spoke up.

Dean frowned. "How do you plan to cross the pool below and get past the monsters on the other floors?"

Kanae glanced at Jason for a moment.. She stepped forward. "Do you mind if I speak?"